338 RUM

I've got a 338 EDGE built on a Rem 700 BDL LSS by Shawn Carlock. Its got a 28" HART stainless/fluted w/brake, LSS stock, VX3 LR 6.5-20x50 fine duplex, w/scope level and cosine indicator. I run the 300g SMK at 2825fps at 1/2-3/4 MOA. Have taken a couple spike bulls and a 6x6 from 500-915 yards with nothing short of fantastic DRT results. This rifle sees the 15" 1000 yard gong regularly and does very well off the bipod.

Cant beat em for a portable LR elk/bear round with the 300g SMK IMO. When your getting 2000ft lbs energy at 1000 yards from a 12.5 lb rifle with MOA accuracy, its pretty impressive.
 
I have .338 RUM in a Remington SPS. Out of the box accuracy is great. I put a Leupold 3.5-10 scope on the gun. I shoot the Sierra 215 gr game kings and they are super accurate. Longest kill was prairie dog at 525 yards. (not recommended for shooting prairie dogs but a friend made a bet and I won. It has killed several elk and mule deer. Also used it with 180 Nolser BT for one antelope who was hit in the chest at 100 yards. Not a good antelope caliber for obvious reasons. Recoil is brisk but a 25lb bag of shot off the bench makes it better. I put a muzzle break on my rifle but ended up taking it off. I have never noticed the recoil while hunting but from the bench its a bear. The muzzle break made the gun to long for the rifle scabbard for my saddle and I got blow back dirt and small rocks in face from the muzzle break when shooting prone while hunting. Great round and easy to reload. I gave this gun to my son (24 years old not a young boy) and bought a 300 RUM to replace it.
 
^ The 300 RUM a lot easier to shoot?

I just cant decide which caliber.... I want the beast (338RUM) but there will come a time when I shoot/hunt with this gun ALOT and dont want to put myself through that much recoil that often...

Then there is the brake discussion.....!! Im gonna look for one with the forward facing blow and see what people are saying about them!

PS. Im thinking a Nightforce will go on top of this one! Prob a 5.5-22
 
I currently have a 338 Edge. It is a Lawton LA repeater in a Manners MCST, 30" fluted Rock 9.3 tw with a Defensive edge brake. weight with scope is under 12lbs. Last fall I had a 8-32 sightron on it but have since put a 6.5-20X50 Leupy. Have been running the 250 Ab becasue I cant find a load im happy with for the 300 SMK. I just got a box of the new Hornady 285 BTHP. This gun is a blast to shoot. Havent had it out to 1000 yet but if its with in 800 its dead. Surprizingly managable recoil with the DE 3 port brake.
 
I"ve got $3500 invested in the whole package, rifle/scope/scope accessories/brass/dies/bipod/action-trigger-bedding work, etc.

Watching an elk drop DRT at 915 yards, Priceless...
 
300 RUM is managable w/out a brake whereas the 338 RUM IMO is not really so. However you must take into account I weigh 140#

I shot a 300 RUM barrel out in 2 years, no brake on it. I shot it well enough that I didn't wanna spend the money to put one on there. When it shot out, I rebarreled to 338 EDGE and definately needed the brake w/300g bullets in mind. I shot a friends 338 RUM in an XCR however with max loaded 250g ABs and it wasn't a pleasant experience to me anyways, a lot more rock then my 300 RUM LSS ever had with 200-220s. I dont think I could shoot a 338 RUM or EDGE very well at LR without a brake for very long is what I'm getting at. Remember though, I weigh 140# is all, but I think I have somewhat of a high tolerance for recoil, definately more then most, especially if you take my size into consideration if you base most peoples limit at 20-25lbs which is roughly an 06, a 300 RUM with 220s is my limit with no brake, which if you ask me, is pretty good considering my weight, and the fact the rifle has about 45 lbs of recoil.

Recoil is not your friend when shooting LR, get a muzzle brake and get rid of it...

NF is a great way to go, but remember they are 2 pounds worth of scope. To heavy IMO for a hunting rifle scope. Leupolds are much much lighter. I can put spikes on an elk on 20x at 1000 yards at shooting light so I dont care how good NF are, my VX3 does what I need it to do at a lot less cost and weight is all.

My 338 EDGE weighs about 12.5 all scoped up ready to shoot, maybe 13 lbs. With 300g SMK's at 2825fps and even with the somewhat heavy rifle and the brake, the recoil is still a lot more then I like for a day of LR shooting. Its still a beast, and its not so much more of the big "push" you get with bigger rifles, it still has that "sharp smack" in your face when you touch that 1.5# trigger off everytime. Its kinda a mind game with this rifle, you just gotta know its gonna let you know when you pull the trigger everytime so be prepared...My dad scoped himself so bad the first time he shot it, he never wanted to shoot it again, thats how I ended up with it, LOL. Its a no joke powerhouse. First time I hit the 15" gong at 1K, it ripped the gong right off the stand...Had to improvise on how I hung the gong after that.
 
^ That is AWESOME! Gotta love the downrange energy!


Ive spent the last couple days reading and I think I may just go with a 300 win mag.... My reasoning is:
1) This is my first LR experience. It would be a good starting round and I could always upgrade should I choose to do so.
2) Im not completely opposed to a brake but would love to not have one on this rifle.. I think I could handle the WM without one.
3)Cost will be a little lower. I dont mind spending the $ if I get into it but this would be an affordable "test".. Im thinking I could probably get one on the classifieds here..


As for scopes, Ill have to look back at Leupold! I have ZERO experience with LR scopes and NF just seemed like a logical place to start...


I still have a few months before I will have the $ to go on with any of this but nothing wrong with having a plan right?!
 
Theres nothign wrong with a 300 WM. With a 200g AB, 208g AMAX or 210g VLD, your set out to 1K at a lot less cost/recoil then the RUMs.

However, take a serious look at the 7 RM. Its VERY hard to beat the ballistics you get with the 7mm diameter, for the amount of recoil/cost you get. Loaded with a 160g AB, 162g AMAX or 168g VLD, you are set for 1K and it does it with less kick then the 300, shoots flatter, retains more velocity (maximize your effective killing range based on minimum impact velocity), only thing it dont do is have the energy of the 30 cal. However, I'll trade a little energy to have a bit more of everything else, especially wind drift. Reason being 7mm bullets have great BC's, a lot higher then 30 cal anyways. Only way to match 7mm 160s in a 30 cal is to shoot 200-220g bullets, but then you have A LOT more recoil, and your still not gaining any drift or drop over the 7mms, only energy. 7mm RM will kill elk at 1000 yards if you do your part, as well as the 300 WM, your definately on the edge of the cartridges ability then, but if you can do it, they will to.

Something to think about is all.

Like I said, nothing wrong with NF, its just that they are to heavy scopes for what my rifle is used for, and thats lugging it up and down the 6000ft cascades.

Heck thats all part of the fun, gathering ideas and what not. Better to go into something with a plan and a bit of knowledge.
 
Thanks for more info!

It seems like the 7mm calibers come up a lot when you start talking LR shooting! Im really liking the looks of that 208gr AMAX... I will admit that im not even reloading get and that will actually be step one of this whole thing. Ive been holding out thinking that my dad would buy the setup but its not looking like thats going to happen.

Can you give me any advise on the Leupy? I know almost nothing about them and there are a ton of models... is the Mark 4 the one to have? I dont see turrets on any of the others....

Thanks!

Edit:
That Leupold custom shop is AWESOME! For $700 less that the NF I could get an awesome scope custom colored and all!
 
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I have a Mark 4 on my 338 RUM. Its one heck of a scope. 30 mm tube allows for more adjustment and 40 mm objective lense is very bright and allows for a solid cheak weld. This scope started out as a 4.5-14 Long Range but I had the custom shop install M1 turrets. Much less than the Mark 4 with turrets.

The Leupold customer service is second to none. Should you ever have a problem, they will take care of you quickly.

Get the Leupold and don't look back.


Also, 300 Win Mag is a very good round for long range shooting. The 200 gr AB makes it a long range hammer!

JD338
 
Here is my 338 Ultra mag. I bought pieces and had them put together, I think the cheaper route, did any work I could do myself. Shoots flat out fantastic. 5/8 ths groups at 300 yds. Muscle brake by Centershot Rifles.
Tarey
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Originally Posted By: cbass16Originally Posted By: blopez50Cbass- How far along are you on getting the 7mm SAUM in the ar-10?

Well, I had planned to just have a new 7mm SAUM built from scratch, but this is proving to be a little more expensive than I can afford right now. I tried to get a hold of a SAUM bolt either from DPMS (who refuses to respond to emails of any kind) and Armalite (that is sold out forever)
I think what I'm going to have to end up doing, is just buying a used 300SAUM and having it rebarreled to my liking.

If I go the rebarrel route, I maybe be able to get the whole rifle for $12-$1300. Basically the same price as a new 300SAUM is going for online.

I've been doing so much research on it lately that I get bummed when I can't find parts.

what I'd REALLY REALLY like to do, is design a wild cat specifically for 180VLDs in the AR10...capable of shooting them in the 3200-3500 fps range. (i have the design in mind and the case picked out), but going that custom would be way way way to expensive.


yea that would be a lot of fun to push those 180's at that speed! the 7wsm will push them to just under 3000 fps. your going to need a LOT of extra case capacity to gain an additional 200-500 fps. Also in long range shooting bullets tend to loose their efficiency after 3000 fps. the benefits gained are minimal in contrast to all the extra noise muzzle blast, and recoil.
 
^ Impressive!!! That thing looks like a beast!



What reticle are you guys running on the Leupys? I think I may order the scope first so that I can use it on my 308 until I buy the bigger rifle!

The mildot interests me just for quick and rough ranging... The only other one that looks halfway decent is the "fine duplex"... any experience? I have a fixed 10X with the dot and like it but not for precision shooting..

 
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I run the Fine Duplexs. I like these because they dont take up much of the target space. I figure since I'm dialing anyways, I dont need a mil dot or TMR reticle, however they are good reticles and have there purpose as well. Me personally, on a hunting rifle, I dont like "busy" reticles, this pretty much outs all your BDC type reticles with either hash marks or circles, its just to much in the scope. I may purchase a LR scope with a mil dot or BDC type hash marks one day, in conjunction with target knobs to see how it works out though. I'm just really not much into math, so I take the easy way out with rangeing and dialing versus taking measurements and making 10 different calcutions with a mil dot reticle.

IMO, dialing is the way to go vs BDC reticles for LR shooting anyways. BDC reticles are set for a certain load and environmental conditions, among a few other things. Yes they work on big game out to a fair distance, within there parameters, but they are not as precise or versatile as dialing. With turrets and learning to read in MOAs, you can use whatever bullet you want at whatever velocity you end up with and plug that in and make/verify a drop chart.
 
Thanks for the info!

I agree about the crowded view. I currently run a burris with the BDC and HATE it... there is way too much going on and there is no correlation (for my rifle/bullet) with the drop vs the hash marks. They are just in the way!

As much as learning to dial appeals to me, tonights searching has sparked an old fling for me.... (I know this is a big NO-NO) I want one of those freakin Eliminator scopes! It in no way would replace the precision or repeatability of turret turning but for my hunting purposes it continues to spark my interest! It seems like everyone who has one really likes it. It would without a doubt eliminate (no pun intended) the possibility of 700+ yard shots but currently (until Im out of school) I am limited to a 500 yard range anyway..... This would be something to hold me over and do a little hunting with until Im able to step up to my long range rig!

As you can tell from the progression of this thread, my mind bounces all over the place! Im lucky that I have some time to get my thoughts in order!
 
I put a Leupold VX3 with the CDS system on my 300 RUM. I load my own and sent them my data and they built a custom dial to match my ballistics. It does a fine job of adjusting for elevation. Windage is another issue that I'm working on. But out to 800 yards its right on as far as elevation. The CDS system comes in either a 3.5 - 10 platform or a 4.5 - 14. I bought the 3.5 - 10 and I'm very happy with it. The nice part is the CDS dials fit easily into my saddle scabard where a regular tactical scope won't fit.
 


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